Home Sweet Home

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again.....

Oh, Willie, who knew your words would strike an accord with so many people for so long of a time frame. Yeah, we are on the road home.  Good bye squating home and welcome Plan473 home. Good bye to AC and full sized stove/oven.  Good bye to two bedroom, one bathroom with tub.  Hello to three people and a dog in one teny tiny home.  Ahhh, home.

The closer we got to ground zero, the more the debris on roadsides build up.  To accomidate for the tens of thousands of tons of debris the county and TxDot is collecting, TxDot has turned medians all across the county into a waste stations.  From sun up to sun down, dump truck full of trash and trees come and go.  There are no words to describe the sheer volume waste produced from Harvey cleanup.  No words.

Being that is still hotter than hades, the Airstream was set next to the shop in order to offer some after break from the sun.  Some.  Not much, just some. This is only temporary as we are already working on a different living accomidation for the Kid and the Worrier.
 

Now that we are finally home full time, the boxes can now be un-hurricaned.  All the windows and doors were tacked shut and must be ground free.

The storage boxes on the ground were removed of their silicone caulking and inspected for leakage.  Amazingly enough, even with the water as high as it was, there was not water leakage through the floorboards.

This cannot be said about the windows.  The tacked windows held against the wind fabulously, it did not hold against the water.  In just a few short weeks, the amount of rust appearing on the window frames is a reminder of the harsh environment we call home.

To reduce further rust, all tools and equipment were cleaned, polished, and sprayed down with grease or WD-40.

 
The work bench was stripped, sanded, and rewaxed. 

 

It was so clean and free of metal bits, welding scars, and rust marks, that it was reflective.  Reflective.

Some equipment and tools were so far gone, they were tossed.  Some were left as they were becuase it really didn't matter.  And some were left becuase the results were astounding.  Who knew.  Now if we could just figure a way to preserve the look for years to come. Hmmm.

To beatuify the homestead again, the nasty poison ivy was sprayed until the leaves were glossy and dripping with toxicins.  May they wither in agony and die painfully.  DIE!

Plants were purchaesed from a local supplier for instant beuatification.  These poor things surived the storm and were worse for wear.  Showing little signs at full recovery, they were on clearance.  The deck is once again surrounded with life.  There is a firebush and a Vine.  By the shower, a Texas Gold Esperanza.   All native, all salt tolerant, all given one last chance.

 

Another beautiful thing was the collection of the very first fertilized egg.  If allowed, Plan473 could have little peppers.  Life is a beautiful thing.  So sorry momma chickens, these are dinner. 

Having not been able to be a boy the last few weeks, the Kid was happy to return home.  There were trenches and tunnels to be dug, trees to climb, and bikes to ride.  Monkeys will be monkeys. Oh, I meant to say boys will be boys.  So glad to be home.

Spirit Lifters

Since Plan473 still does not have any electricty and as we can no longer just sit around, we decided to keep removing, cutting, and sorting of the broken trees. Some would say that it is busy work but at least I can show something for my efforts.  Just think in two years or so, we will have plenty of dried wood for BBQing. Besides, cutting fire wod makes me happy as I get to use the chain saw.  Hot dog, I love the chain saw.

Most of trees lost were the small spindly live oaks.  None were more than 10-12" in diameter.  None were more than 20 years old. Braches from the bigger, more aged trees were lost and broken but not the whole tree itself.  That is, with an exception to this beauty.  It was not a front runner tree and to this day I am still preplexed as to why it fell over.  In an attempt to keep it, the Planner pulled it up, propped it, and then cabled it to another much larger tree in front. Hopefully over time, the roots will restablish themselves and the tree will once again hold itself up.

While working on the tree, through the clearing to the front street, we see a power truck paused on the side of the road.  Taking matters into our hands, the two workers from several towns over, fixed our power!!

These men were great.  They were tired, and hot, and had not been home or had a day off in weeks and weeks as they were restoring power to all those in the surrounding areas.  And yet, not once did they complain at being asked to restore our power.  Our house was not on their schedule and when called to confirm we had been scheduled, the worker in charge convinced the operator it was a quick fix.  It was not a quick fix as the power lines that were rolled up at the top of the pole were hot.  Can you image what could have happened? Yozers.... Yet not once did they compain.  Thank you the men from the AEP El Campo for your dedication.  Thank you, thank you.

In just one day after weeks of feeling down, spirits at Plan473 were beginning to lift.  A major tree was lifted and secured in place and a humble crew in their lift truck restored our power.  If damaged trees can begin again, so can we. What a fantastic day!

Well almost completely fantastic.  Yes, that is what you are thinking.  The uber fantastic, just lovely, ever my friend in waitng, poison ivy. Whaaaa!

Let the Recovery Begin

Normally, I like to start a post with a picture.  It kinda sets the ground for the post.  However, a note must be said in order to move forward.  Today's date as I publish this post is November 20 and I started writing this post on November 15.  It has taken me that long to process emotions and feelings onto paper.  It is fifteen months after Harvey.   Fifteen months since I have looked at this blog.  Fifteen months of sheer frustration, stress, and no sense of normalcy.  Fifteen months that I have not looked at videos or images of the destruction.  Not mine or any of the thousands on Google with an expectation to an article on Wiki. Fifteen months. I have tried many times over the last fifteen months to return to my positive self.  But I have come to accept, in order to move forward, I must take that first step all recovering addicts take. I must admit to my struggles. The truth must be stated out loud.

Guess a picture does say a thousand words.  A picture that shows what used to be our home, with plants, bushes, picnic tables, kids toys lying about, tree-covered pathways, and homes (even if they were of the traveling kind).  A picture that now shows loneliness, desolation, and despair.  A picture that shows just a fraction of the devastation this little hometown experienced.  We were some of the lucky ones.

Oh sure, there are chickens with lime green coop, shop boxes, storage boxes, and BBQ pits that were not damaged but they just don't happen to be in the picture. When I took this picture is was simply for reference, not a reminder. 

Needing to move on with our lives, we had to return to Big City #1 to once again borrow the tractor.  Ain't nobody got time to disassemble and remove a trailer wrapped around and in between a set of trees by hand.  The Planner took off to do his thing with the tractor,

the Kid took off on his list of chores (yes, this once again required the use of his trusty red wagon)

and I took off to reassess plants, decks, picnic tables, and the other homey things.

Here it is the middle of September and as the previous post title said, nature does NOT give a damn about us wee humans.  It just carries on as nothing has happened.  And in the grand scale of things, nothing has happened.  The sun comes up, the sun goes down.  The tide comes up, the tide comes down.  The world just keeps spinning.  Just like these pelicans. You probably can't see them in the picture, hell I couldn't see them either 15months after having taken the picture.  But they are there, I promise (directly in the middle of the blue sky above the power pole in the background).  They don't care about Hurricane Harvey, why should we.  Instinct says to fly south, and south they came.

Flowers are flowering, bugs are bugging (we now have the biggest mosquitoes EVER some import model that is black with white stripes and are seriously the size of a quarter), and grass is growing. Yet, there are the reminders of the destruction at every turn.

Just like this poor little critter.  Dead as a doorknob and already petrified.  Boo-hoo.  Yes, we buried him.

Four days of working.  Four days of driving back and forth from where we are sleeping to home which is almost fours hours of driving in one day.  Four very long days emotionally, physically, and mentally. Four days of cleaning, removing, and sorting. Many local residents are removing not cleaning. Just push all the contents to the edge of the road and the county will pick it up.  No need to filter and become emotional all over again at the lose of what was, what could have been, and what will be. It's easier really.

We were not like that as we attempted at salvaging as much as possible such as this makeshift couch from the Kids' trailer.  Others items saved for future usage (maybe, probably not since at the time of this post they are still just in storage) were the RV toilet, AC, and hot water heater, various cleaning products, a brand new package of socks (random yes I know), and many other odds and ends.

Four days of eating MREs.  MRE's by the case were donated to aid in our clean up efforts.  Many years ago I had the opportunity to eat some military grade MRE's and they were tasty!  These MREs on the other hand, not so much.  As it turns out, FEMA MREs are low in salt, sugar, and various flavorings.  With FEMA MREs people have a choice of almost any tomato based dish: chili, lasagna, ravioli, beef and mac, spaghetti, etc....  The first two or three are bearable but after that, they all taste the same.  But hey, they served a purpose and it was greatly appreciated.  What was more appreciated were the cases upon cases of water that were available.  I cannot even attempt to count the number of cases we drank alongside the water we brought with us.  Thank you to all those who donated so we could have water and food to eat.  Thank you.

Oh, and by the way, four days still without electricity. Argh.  The power people came and installed new poles and new wire to both my neighbor and our house.  But for whatever reason, there is no power to our box.  Just blinking 0000000.  So frustrating.  Calls have been made and schedules have been assigned. It will be another three weeks before they can come back.  Three weeks.  As with all things since Harvey, we wait.....

Nature Does NOT Give a Damn!

You know, maintenance is designed for those who enjoy self torture.  After spending a few days re-caulking the Rainstream, scrubbing base boards with a toothbrush, wiping down walls, and cleaning out of all cabinets from the past three years of residue, I decided enough was enough.  Truer words have not been spoken when children complain about making their beds.  Why make the bed when it is just gonna be unmade tonight?  Why scrub the trailer when we are just gonna move back into in another week or so?  Maybe.  Hopefully.

Therefore having spent the last three days cleaning the trailer, it was decided cleaning hurricane debris would best be use of free time.  Also, not having been back home in three days, the chickens really needed to be checked on and eggs collected.

Upon arrival at home something amazing happened.  It was so utterly overwhelming.  Moments were given to observe in its beauty.  Sure this event was to be expected but not this soon.  It was yet another moment when nature revealed its true power.  Did you see the difference?

Have you guessed it now?  Isn't it something so wonderful it takes your breath away and you need a few moments to just soak in its beauty?

Just a little over two weeks after 150mph winds cleared trees and brush of all their leaves, nature were returning! Nature takith and nature givith, as it turns out.  Only us humans dwell on the loss of material items.  Nature doesn't give a damn!  It just keeps on going: winter, spring, summer, fall, freeze, heat, drought, and as it turns out hurricanes.

Oh, sure there are still plenty of trees still without leaves.  But the fact any form of new life has already appeared in just a few short weeks is something just AMAZING!  With the majority of trees still missing their leaves and summer heat still upon us, the chickens now have to follow the shade around in order to remain cool.  A tarp was placed over the top of their run to offer some shade during the day but as you can see they prefer shade with their freedom now.

I forgot to mention in the last post, not only did the chickens survive without incident, so did their watering feed system and the coop itself.  The coop did sustain some damage but a cracked plastic roof covering resulting from a fallen branch is minor.  Very minor.  In order to protect the watering system from the full sun beatings, a sun blocking curtain was salvaged from the Kids demolished trailer.  This should keep the water cool enough for the chickens until a permanent fix can be developed.

First step in the clean up process was the scrap pile.  Some materials managed to stay in place like the conex wall pieces (above picture bottom left corner).  But for the most, scrapes were spread out far and wide.  Unbelievably spread out.

Next was the remove of fallen branches.  Broken branches will be removed, but at this time, no fallen trees will be removed, even if they look dead.  As nature has already proven, it is very resilient. Besides what is the hurry.  Don't want to cause any more stress to the trees than necessary and there are other projects more demanding.

As we were leaving, an even more amazing thing occurred.  The calvaery arrived in the form of electrical workers!  There were three different crews working on the power poles in my tiny neighborhood.  After so many weeks without power this was a definite mood booster.  Makes me kinda shallow, you are thinking right?  True story.  There are friends in town with no homes to return too yet here I sit and complain because I don't have power. And what is worse, I don't have the energy to spare to be kind in my thoughts about other people and their problems.  The hurricane has not brought out the best in me.  This is not something that I am proud of, I admit, but there it is all the same.

I want to return home.  Here it is three weeks and I am still commuting and it is wearing upon my positive nature. I want to return home to the home I left behind and that home is no longer there.  For all those people who have been able to return home because they have had power for two weeks, they have had time to deal with the debris and destruction on a day to day basis.   They have had time to adjust the new new.   They live here where as I still do not.  Not living here is both a blessing and a curse.  If I get tired of looking at the destruction, I can run.  And run I have done.  As the saying goes, I can run but I cannot hide.

Besides, at this point in the game, the stress is killing me.  I cannot eat.  I cannot sleep.  If I am not crying, I am mad.  Grey hairs and pimples are my new friends.  I try to remain calm, cool, and collective to teach the Kid how to properly handle heavy pressure but the pressure is just to high.  So forgive me if it seems as though I am selfish but I just want to come home.  Come home to start my new Plan473 life.  Right, wrong, or otherwise, home with all its hurricane destruction is where I want to be.  So yes, dammit, I am glad we are getting power because now I can come home too.

Two Weeks Out

O' Brother Where Art Thou is probably one of the best movies ever.  EVER!  One of the best lines before Harvey: "Well ain't this place a geographically oddity.  Two weeks from everywhere".   One of the best lines after Harvey: "Well ain't this place a geographically oddity.  Two weeks from everywhere".

It has been two weeks since Harvey forever changed Plan473.  Friends and family and people unknown continue to offer support and assistance from clean up crews, to meals, to housing.  While there has been progress made at being able to return home due to the endless man hours from Verizon, AEP, TxDot, and city and county employees it will still be two weeks or more before many residents can return.  

So with nothing but time on our hands, we decided to be productive.  No time like the present to devote a little much needed love our home.  Seeing as we will all be living in the Airstream again for some unknown time, making it a little more habitable seemed worthy.

Airstreams are maintenance hogs.  Constant diligence is needed in securing comfortable living.  Notice I did not mention shiny, clean living.  Ain't nobody got time to polish yearly both inside and out to ensure the aluminum stays bright and corrosion free. No, I am talking about the maintenance that goes unseen but it WAY more important that visual appeal.  I am talking about toothbrushes, razor blades, and caulk guns. Yup, rain maintenance.

First the old caulk must be removed.  This involves razor blades, picks, chemicals, and lots and lots of time.  The old caulk is now dry and brittle and does not remove in long strips but in tiny segments and fragments.

Once all remnants are removed, the seams must be taped and prepared.  This requires patience as it is important to maintain proper distance from the seam lines.  Too far and the seams can be seen.  Too close and they leak.  Oh, how there have been many a nights with water dripping on our heads and running down the walls because of this vintage Rainstream.

Then there is the art of caulking.   Not skill, art.  Caulking requires a small, small hole in the tube and cramped, steady hands.  It is important to ensure the caulk is pushed in between the aluminum panels and is seated tightly.  Otherwise when it dries, it will pull away leaving at a gap.  Even a pinhole size gap leads water to run inside the trailer.  Caulking can only be done in sections otherwise it dries making removal of tape more difficult.  An unlike ripping off a bandaid, tape must be gently, slowly pulled away from the trailer to ensure the caulk seal is not broken or smudged or broken.  

But hey, just think, seam maintenance is good to go for another couple of years or so.  Or until the next rain when it is discovered the Rainstream leaks at 3:30 in the morning.  On your head.  Yes, because leaks only appear when people are trying to sleep.  Never in the light, only at night.

With at least two more weeks before we can return home, time will be spent with continued commuting home every third day to check on chickens, friends, and general home well fare.  Two more weeks of full service, unlimited data to write blogs and zone out with videos (thank you Verizon!!)

Two more weeks of squatting in an air conditioned home (hey it was only 99 degrees yesterday), with an extra large stove and oven (oh I can feel the pounds accumulating), and a separate bed for the Kid.  So now, I can't say that I am really complaining about two more weeks.  Don't get me wrong, we want to go home.  Badly.  But going home adds an additional level of stress to an already stressful time.  Going home means the beginning of new and this new is a little scary.